Features
Rogue Agencies Gut State Banking Laws
The only reason you’re not afraid of the Office of the Comptroller of Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision is because you don’t know what they do. Called indentured servants to the national banking industry, they are dismantling the state regulatory system piece by piece, with nothing more than a polite scolding from Congress. By Stacy MitchellOn the Cutting Edge
A law requiring in-state processing helps keep Idaho’s timber industry thriving while harvests decline and sawmills close across the Pacific Northwest. By Sarah HanniganFeds Swat State Support for Medical Marijuana
For more than 20 years states have been passing legislation designed to allow their citizens to use marijuana as medicine, and for more than 20 years, federal agencies, Congress and the Supreme Court have stymied these efforts. By Daniel KrakerMapping the Internet
Geo-locators can determine an internet user’s geographic location. Online retailers and governments are interested in perfecting this technology, but it might also prove useful to local economies. By Sarah Hannigan
Place Rules: Missouri’s meatpackng law stands. Maine Rx Program survives suit. Wisconsin draws attention to unfair gas pricing. California allows municipal control of electricity. Oregon preempts living wage laws.